Eligibility
You may be entitled to compensation if there has been physical damage to your property or vehicle. The damage must have been caused:
- unlawfully, maliciously or wantonly by an unlawful assembly of three or more people
- by an act of terrorism
- in Northern Ireland
For agricultural property, or property which is free from rates, you may receive compensation if the damage was caused maliciously or deliberately.
If you have an interest in property that has been damaged in any of the circumstances described above and suffer a loss of more than £200.00 because of that damage you can apply for compensation.
For example, it would usually be the owner or landlord of a building damaged who would make a claim. However, if you're a tenant of the building and you're responsible for carrying out repairs under the terms of a lease, you would be eligible to claim compensation.
For more information, including eligibility and terms, download the guide to criminal damage compensation.
Making a claim
You must lodge a notice of intention to apply for criminal damage compensation. You can do this online or you can download a form, below.
You must complete and submit your notice of intention within 10 days of the damage being caused to the property or vehicle.
Apply online
As part of the online application process, you need to set up a nidirect account for which you have had your identity verified. To learn more about creating an nidirect account and to find your nearest office for identity checks, go to the link below:
To start your notice of intention, go to the link below:
Download a notice of intention to make a claim
You can download a notice of intention form at the link below:
Once you've completed your form, send it to Compensation Services.
Making a claim for loss or damage caused by the police or army
If you suffer loss or damage as a result of action by the police or army, while searching for items which may be useful to terrorist organisations, the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 gives you the right to claim compensation from the Secretary of State.
You can do this by contacting the Protective Security and Resilience Team.
Decision on your claim
Each application for compensation is determined on its own merits and in keeping with the relevant legislation. When all the information needed to make a decision on your claim is received, an assessment will be made and a decision taken on whether compensation can be paid.
If you have applied online, you can check the progress of your application.
If your claim for compensation has been successful, you will also be entitled to claim back any reasonable costs and expenses you paid out making your claim. This includes legal and other professional fees.
If your claim is not successful, or an agreement on the amount payable cannot be reached, you will be sent a formal Notice of Decision.
If you are unhappy with the decision made by Compensation Services, you can seek to appeal the decision at the County Court.
This should be made within six weeks from the date of the first decision.